First look at new ‘Community’ season seems very movie-ish

The long-awaited fifth season of “Community” officially returns to NBC’s schedule on Jan. 2 with back-to-back episodes. The new season is also the return of the show’s creator, Dan Harmon, to the writers’ room. And to make it clear that he’s back, the first look at the new season doesn’t even look like a TV show at all.

Unlike most new season trailers, the first promo for “Community” really wants you to think it’s something else entirely, an indie comedy called “Mr. Winger.”

The setup for the new season is almost like a reboot, with series star Joel McHale returning to Greendale Community College not as a student but as a teacher. The new season promises all the surreal gags (witness Troy and Abed disguised as an office plant and chair) and self-referential humor of previous seasons (Abed points out the “Scrubs”-like rebooting of the season). They’ll also have an added assist from “Breaking Bad” actor Jonathan Banks in a recurring role. Harmon has also said “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan will also appear in the season.

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The trailer looks to be a return to form for the series that left fans disenchanted with its previous season under new showrunners Moses Port and David Guarascio. With Harmon’s return the show has been given a 13-episode fifth season, bringing them one season closer to the longtime goal of six seasons and a movie.

However, if there is a sixth season, it may be without Donald Glover, one of the original stars of the show who is taking on a reduced role in Season 5. He’ll appear in only five of the 13 episodes of the season. Also gone is Chevy Chase, who left the series near the end of Season 4.

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